Q: I think I have received a scam text, saying that my Apple ID has been locked, and offering me a link to fix the problem.  Has anyone else received this?

Hi

You did the right thing by not clicking on the link.

You may wish to report the message to Apple by following the steps here:

Block phone numbers and contacts or filter messages on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch - Apple Support

Go to https://appleid.apple.com and log in with your Apple ID. If it truly is locked contact the Apple Account Security Team: If you think your Apple ID has been compromised - Apple Support

you can report fraud emails to apple using this link

http://www.apple.com/legal/more-resources/phishing/

Yes it most certainly is a scam. Apple will never send a text message.

If your ID were locked you would get en E-Mail from Apple not a text message.

Phil0124 wrote:

 

If your ID were locked you would get en E-Mail from Apple not a text message.

Not necessarily. There are cases where an Apple ID was hacked, and the hacker changed the email address and password, thus locking the account. Then holding it for ransom. If this happened you would not get an email because the email address was changed. Unlikely in this instance, but it has happened.

Lawrence Finch wrote:

 

Phil0124 wrote:

 

If your ID were locked you would get en E-Mail from Apple not a text message.

Not necessarily. There are cases where an Apple ID was hacked, and the hacker changed the email address and password, thus locking the account. Then holding it for ransom. If this happened you would not get an email because the email address was changed. Unlikely in this instance, but it has happened.

That is true, but in that case, the account would not have been locked by Apple, so no e-mail by apple would be generated anyway.

If the ID was in fact locked by Apple themselves for any reason they send an E-Mail. Though if the E-mail address for he account was changed first, and then the account was subsequently locked by Apple for some reason, then yes you would not get an E-Mail.

But you would get a notice on Apple device about locked status of the account as it tries to use the account.

In any case the point is Apple does not send text messages (SMS) in these events in my experience.